Console gaming set to disappear?

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Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada is laying preparatory foundations for what he predicts will soon be the death of console gaming.

Head of the company that the Final Fantasy series calls home, Wada told MCV that he expects dramatic changes in the next few years, following the predicted shift towards digital distribution and server-based gaming.

“In ten years’ time a lot of what we call ‘console games’ won’t exist,” he said. “Somewhere around 2005 the console manufacturers’ strategy shifted. In the past the platform was hardware, but it has switched to the network. A time will come when the hardware isn’t even needed anymore.”

Speaking of cloud gaming systems such as OnLive, he continued, “With that, any kind of terminal becomes a potential platform on which games can be played – that’s exponential growth in the potential of gaming. The potential size of the market is enormous.”

Square Enix are currently preparing for a 2010 beta-roll out for the Final Fantasy XIV MMORPG, a genre in which Wada sees huge potential in the coming years.

“Social and browser games are going to grow dramatically – especially in an area like Asia which does not have as big a console market,” he said.